I’m such a fan of Maureen Lee Lenker. Her old Hollywood articles in Entertainment Weekly are always a must read. Her podcast Hollywoodography with Oriana Nudo is a must listen. To find out she wrote a fictional take on Hollywood in the 1930s, it was a no brainer that I’d be devouring this.

The premise is the perfect screwball comedy of movie stars who despise each other but are adored by the public and end up falling in love. The main female character, Joan Davis, initially comes off very unlikeable and there is a lot of repetitiveness in the beginning of the story. I also couldn’t put it down. I became so invested in Joan & Dash’s love story that when they came up against a huge obstacle, towards the end of the book, I was sick to my stomach wondering how they’d get out of this one. Of course it ends happily but the journey to get there was a page turner!

I could easily see this as a movie and I hope it becomes one. This could easily have been a real film being shown on TCM. It also reminded me a bit of “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.” So if you love romance, behind the scenes, Turner Classics and old Hollywood, I think you’ll love this too. I thought the list of films that inspired the writing placed at the end of the book was a great addition and I liked catching small glimpses of other movies and stars throughout like a scavenger hunt. I hope Lenker writes more novels from this time with other fictional movie stars and creates a universal within multiple books.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It Happened One Fight by Maureen Lee Lenker is a charming and effervescent read, highly evocative of the Hollywood glamour in the 1930's. If the title alone did not make the author's love of this era clear, the characters certainly would , and I loved how well she brought this golden age of cinema to life on the page.
The main character, Joan Davis is an amalgamation of Joan Crawford and Bette Davis , though the author admits in her afterword that she bears most resemblance to Crawford, at least in terms of career. There is no ambiguity about the inspiration for the leading man Dash Howard however, he is squarely based on the King of Hollywood himself, Clark Gable and the book title is not the only nod in the book to one of his most famous roles .
Davis and Howard are the box office darlings of their studio, each movie is a bigger success than the one that went before., but behind the scenes things are a little complicated. While Howard has always been attracted to Davis, she has always pushed him away and is denying to herself that there is any attraction between them. As far as she is concerned he is just another Hollywood playboy flitting from one conquest to the next and she has no intentions of being the next in his long line of starlets. Instead she is set to marry another actor, Monty Smyth, in a plot that shows one of the darker sides of Hollywood, as a gay man he is forced to hide his sexuality and live a lie, and the marriage will help to reignite Davis' career and bring it to new heights. When a notorious gossip columnist uncovers the startling fact that through a series of accidents a phoney marriage certificate used as promotion for one of their films has accidentally been filed and registered, neither Howard nor Davis can believe the fact that they are legally married. The only solution is a six week visit to Reno in order to arrange the divorce but the studio decides to make lemonade from these lemons and plans to shoot a movie on location. It will come as no surprise that once in Reno sparks begin to fly between the couple, and soon they wonder if they should just give in to fate and stay married, However it seems that fate may have a little something else in mind when dark secrets from their pasts threaten to come to light and derail their careers and future happiness .
This really was a very charming read, and I found myself loving both the main characters and several of the secondary ones too, most notably Joan's assistant and aspiring screen writer Arlene. The romance was fun with plenty of sweet and a couple of spicy moments and there were several scenarios that would have been perfectly at home in a screwball comedy from that era. I did find that some of the messaging about how women were , and are still in many cases , treated by Hollywood, was a little heavy handed and preachy, I think a little more subtlety might have made it better. I also have to say that while I loved most of the book, I did find the ending a little too contrived and implausible for the era, most notably Joan's Oscar speech. Readers who are sticklers for historical accuracy might not love this book but those who like a fun enemies to lovers read with an interesting setting could do a lot worse than give this a shot. One other thing that I really did appreciate as a nice little extra touch was the list of movies recommended by the author as having inspired the author to write this book .
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Your main character - an amalgam of Joan Crawford and Bette Davis - is named Joan Davis? I mean, it works for a 1930s-era movie star despite, or possibly because of, not being especially clever or original. But then you have a director known for being an actress’s director and you name him Kucor? Have you no shame? Anyone who hasn’t heard of George Cukor - women’s film director extraordinaire - won’t get what you’ve done there and anyone who has heard of him is just going to roll their eyes at how stupid that is.
And then there’s the little matter of Joan Oscars speech. I don’t mind ascribing a modern sensibility to historical fiction characters within reason but there is no way on earth that any actress of the time would ever make that confession in public. Not without being immediately shipped off to a mental hospital forever. It’s the most wildly, inappropriately, anachronistically plot point ever. A better writer with a better story could have found a realistic for the times way to handle that situation. As it is this just wrenched me out of whatever willing suspension of disbelief I’d been granting this otherwise mildly entertaining novel.

Sadly, this story did not work for me. The pacing, the ridiculousness of it all. It needs work. I would love to see it cleaned up, tighter, and better.

I would like the thank Net Galley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I really wanted to love this book. I love all things about the movies, especially the early days of the movies, the transition from silent to sound, the days of the major studios and players. I also love a good screwball comedy, with the familiar but fun premise- boy meets girl, boy and girl hate each other, boy and girl fall in love, there is a problem( mistaken identity, misaddressed letter etc), kind hearted friend steps in , boy and girl fall back in love. This book has a lot of those elements. I am
not just sure what the book is intending to be. It is not the typical screwball comedy, it is not a roman a clef of It Happened One Night. It is not the story ( not completely) of Clark Gable and Joan Crawford. It is a lot of things, all put together. There were parts I really liked. The main characters and the side characters were very well written. I loved Leda ( think Hedda Hopper) as a mean gossip columnist. A charcter named Errol for Dash ( the Clark Gable stand in ) to pal around in. The setting of the book in Reno. known as a haven for quick divorces in the 30's( also were Gable's last movie , the Misfits , was set. There is a lot of really good in this book. I did not like the final third, I thought the set up was contrived and a bit mite heavy handed than needed. The basics are this, Joan Davis and Dash Howard are movie stars. They hate each other, do to a mixup years ago . They have great acting chemistry and so the studio keeps having Them make movies together. Now Joan is engaged, until Leda the gossip writer, finds out that Joan and Dash are married. An on set ceremony has somehow become real! They go to Reno to get a divorce, and make one more movie. But it turns out that their chemistry is not confined to acting!No spoilers, but the story does take some good turns. It is also a bit preachy in terms of the way women are treated in Hollywood. Some of it is a bit heavy handed. It is also a bit of a stretch to think that all it takes is one conversation, and the greatest actor in Hollywood would suddenly realize how bad the actresses have been treated. There is a modern sensibility to the dialogue, which is interesting, but sadly, not authentic to the time. However, it is a fun read, and sprinkled with lots of real ( and reel) life Hollywood names.Thanks for the book.

I really wanted to like It Happened One Fight, and there were a lot of things that I really liked. Due to some pranks gone awry, Joan Davis and Dash Howard, leading actors and co-stars who do not get along, are married. Oops! They go to Reno to fulfill the six-week residency requirement so they can get divorced, but their studio insists on them filming while they're there. So they're forced to spend lots of time together. And, don't worry, dear reader -- there is, in fact, only one bed where they're staying.

What worked for me: I loved the Hollywood vibe. Singin' in the Rain isn't one of the movies that the author notes in the end as something that inspired her, but this book has that kind of a feel. Co-stars who hate each other (although in Singin' in the Rain, that's not the couple you're rooting for), romantic feelings, on-set shenanigans, and movie studios trying to figure out what to do with their chaotic stars. Singin' in the Rain is my favorite movie, and so I loved reading in this setting and time era. I've seen a couple of other reviewers who said that it didn't really feel like a 1930s era story. I don't fully agree, but it also didn't bother me because I enjoyed so much of the rest of the setting.

I also liked a lot of the characters. Arlene, who is Joan's assistant/best friend/screenwriter, is such a powerhouse, and I would 100% read her book. I did also grow to love Joan and Dash as they opened up to one another. And this is not a closed-door book -- we get one steamy scene.

What didn't work for me: The third-act break-up. The conflict is so manufactured, and the villain is so unbelievably villainous. At least in Singin' in the Rain, the villain is funny, and the ending is funny. The villain was just so... unrealistic and vindictive? I think there could have been a way to still have this villain but not have them derail the last third of the book.

I did enjoy this book. It wasn't earth-shattering, and even some of the parts I liked were just fine. But it was fun to be dropped in 1930s Hollywood for a little bit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with an eARC of It Happened One Fight in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is amazing. I loved it from the very first page!

3/5. Releases 7/11/2023.

For when you're vibing with... Old Hollywood, celebrity romance but make it vintage, oops! we're married, and light enemies to lovers.

Joan Davis has been unable to escape being paired with her screen partner, Dash Howard--no matter how much she hates him, they're box office gold together. She's hoping that her upcoming marriage to rising star Monty will give her a new image. Except, whoops, a prank gone wrong (by Dash) means that Dash and Joan are legally married. The only way to get a quick divorce is to star in one last movie with Dash in Reno, where they can split after six weeks. But during that six weeks... Joan begins to wonder if there's more to her irritating rival than what meets the eye...

I'm actually a really big fan of older cinema, and I love Old Hollywood. Unfortunately, while I think this is a well-done book and will definitely capture the hearts of certain readers, it didn't quite get me going.

Quick Takes:

--I really do love the premise here. The Reno divorce was something so many celebrities relied upon back in the day--and it's perfect for a romance novel. You can tell Lenker knows her shit about the tricks of the trade, too. Dash was just an everyguy until his first wife saw something in him and helped him remake his image, Joan's own image remaking with her engagement to Monty (who has quite the involved roommate)--those are all the beats of shit Old Hollywood used to pull all the time, and I like that.

--Where I think we're a little lost is in an uncertainty about the setting. It's definitely detailed like Old Hollywood should be, but it doesn't quite hit home for me. Some of it is in the dialogue, which is quite 21st century modern. There's a modern vibe throughout the book, and here's the thing: I normally don't care about that with historicals... To an extent. Very few historicals are truly accurate, you know? But it's easier to get a sense of a really well-tread setting like Regency and Victorian, I think--that's not Lenker's fault. What makes the 1930s, and especially 1930s Hollywood more challenging is that in the grand scheme? It's a lot more tangible. I can watch a movie and see... if not a depiction of how real people acted and talked, then at least how they wanted to be seen. It's more familiar, so it's easier for a book to feel not-quite-there, I think.

However, I also feel like there was a lot of grit taken out of the world, and I tend to wonder if 1930s Hollywood just might not be the right setting for a lighthearted historical romance. Perhaps a heavier historical romance would've made more sense. Maybe I'm just too aware. This reads more like a movie made in the 1930s than a book about people who made movies in the 1930s, if that makes sense, so perhaps my expectations were off in that sense. And to be clear, I'm fully aware that Regencies and Victorians gloss over the bad shit too--but I think there's a higher sense of stress in those I prefer, at least, and again this book suffers a little from being too recently-set.

--In that sense, I feel like it wasn't quite caustic enough for me. There's a sense of the screwball to this, which I think is easier to pull off onscreen than it is on the page, because you have charismatic actors doing hijinks and allowing you to suspend disbelief, whereas here I'm like "okay, this is a lot for a grown man to be doing". I just need to stay away from books where pranks are pulled--and that's on me.

--The writing is entertaining and it all makes sense. It hit all the right beats. I should have connected more than I did, and again, I feel like those who prefer lighter books will probably connect with it more. I just didn't get the sense that these two needed to be together, which is important for me as a reader.

The Sex Stuff:

There is one extended sex scene, which is good and covers a lot of the bases. But after that, you get a lot of closed door action, and I really don't understand why that is.

This is one of those books that I think could've been pushed an extra level; it almost had a thing, but for me, it didn't quite get there.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was really looking forward to this 1930s-Hollywood set rom-com, but I was unfortunately disappointed. We follow Dash and Joan who have been costars for quite a few movies but are not each others' biggest fans--Joan believes Dash was involved in a plot against her a few years ago, and neither has had much to do with each other off-set. That is, until they find out they're married by a twist of fate and must escape to film on-location in Reno while pursuing a divorce. Obviously, they end up falling for each other while also filming a movie, contending with a reporter set on their downfall, and Joan's fiance. Perhaps the most disappointing element was that this didn't feel historical--except for a few phrases used, this could easily have been set in present-day. I wish this had a bit more of an atmospheric feel--I love the glitz and glam of early Hollywood but just didn't feel it with this one. I liked the book a good bit up until the last third--the big third-act conflict had some blackmail, and I honestly hated it, much like I do with most blackmail situations. Things seem impossible then, miraculously, there's a solution nobody thought of before, and now everything is screwed up so we have to backtrack and fix everything, etc. There were apologies that weren't big enough and apologies that shouldn't have happened because a character did nothing wrong. The last third just really brought the book down for me. If you're looking for a really atmospheric historical rom-com, this probably isn't the one for you.

It Happened One Fight is just the sort of snappy screwball romantic comedy that the romance world has been waiting for. It pays a fine tribute to the 1930s romantic comedies it’s clearly based upon, and provides the reader with one heck of a rollicking ride.

Joan Davis and Dashiell (Dash) Howard make beautiful music onscreen; it’s offscreen that’s the big problem. A fight at the Coconut Grove during an fake date between them becomes a disaster when someone tips off the paparazzi, and Joan – who is already struggling to forge an identity for herself outside of the popular movies she and Dash make together – is fit to be tied and blames him. Dash is incorrigible like that, and Joan is just as fiery.

Months later, when Joan becomes engaged to fellow actor Monty Smythe, no one knows that she’s simply and cheerfully bearding for a close friend, but Joan doesn’t mind putting friendship before love. Then she learns something terrible when gossip maven Leda Price calls her after news of her and Monty’s engagement breaks – one of Dash’s onset pranks has backfired, and the two of them are now legally married! Leda threatens to break the news of Joan’s marriage to Dash as revenge for Joan not telling her first about her engagement to Monty.

A tête-à-tête with studio heads results in a brainstorm; Dash and Joan will film their next – and last, Joan hopes – picture together, At Long Last Love, in Reno, obtain a quickie divorce while there and move on with their lives. Enter love, farce, and some pretty memorable love confession scenes.

You don’t have to be a movie buff to guess that Dash is based on Clark Gable and Joan (partially) on both Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. But it’s what Lenker does with their romance that makes the story fun, and it’s hard to deny that It Happened One Fight definitely is that. I mean, our hero and heroine get into a fishing competition. He puts a skunk in her dressing room. She turns the tables. It’s really all you need in this kind of romance.

Both of our leads are imperfect. He’s a boozy womanizer, she’s so intensely career-driven that she cannot see the wood for the trees. They’re clearly made for one another. The romance is great and takes its time, and the research put into the way things worked in Reno back then comes together beautifully.

That’s not to say the book doesn’t have a few issues. The dialogue feels too wallpapery sometimes, though the character reactions feel spot on and period appropriate. And yes, there’s a way to write about 1930s/1940s Hollywood and its queer culture and separately about the falsified hell of the studio system and Lenker doesn’t quite get there. The pacing is a little messy, and Lenker having Joan smack Dash was a false note. But darn it, I found myself overlooking that in light of the crackling chemistry and quick-witted humor to be had at every turn. This is a fun ride, and It Happened One Fight will appeal to any fan of classic Hollywood.

The setting of this book was really fun - I don't think I've read a romance that's been set in the golden age of Hollywood. The plot was interesting, and I love an enemies to lovers. There was a lot of interesting work in terms of women in Hollywood, and perceptions of masculinity. I'll definitely watch for what Maureen writes next!

I love old-school and historical movies, but I don't always vibe with them as books - seeing them in movie format with the settings really help sell the stories for me. In "It Happened One Fight", I did feel as if Maureen wrote the historical romance well, and created a rich atmosphere for it. Maureen stayed true to the 1940s Hollywood we all know, but was able to make it modern. I didn't enjoy the third-act breakup, that always tends to happen, but did love the overall story.

DNF at around 50%. I loved the idea of the Old Hollywood setting, but this one just didn't land for me. I hope that it finds an audience that loves it wholeheartedly! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC, even if it didn't work out for me.

𝘐𝘵 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 follows Joan and Dash - great actors and each other's biggest enemies in the entertainment biz. As the two accidentally get married, their anger rises but so do their intimate moments in the midst of the heat from media and they realise there's more to them than just hate.

- ~ -

Apparently this book was set in the 1930's? Because it didn't read like that for sure.

Aside from that, I didn't like Joan character much. She was alright till the 60ish percent mark but afterwards my hate was real. Still can't figure out why Dash would firghve her but I guess love is love.

Safe to say I would really recommend this book but it did have great potential, sad it wasn't brought to the pages.

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3.24 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

I am a freaking sucker for Hollywood themed books. I actually didn't realize this was a historical romance (it was a cover click) and those aren't usually my cup of tea but I'M OBSESSED. The premise, while not entirely Orginal itself, felt very much like reading it for the first time and that is a true testament to the author.

I grew up obsessed with the 1940s movies, and this book brought back all that love with it's rich atmosphere, characters, and references. This is a well done historical romance although I could have done without the third act breakup that practically ripped my heart out with the main characters. I really like a dual POV and this one really showed the depth and extra oomph that it can add to a story. I felt like the story and characters were all well written, and fit perfectly into the world the author created (and still stayed true to the 1940s Hollywood history we all know) while still making it modern, fresh, and bright. Some might argue that it's too modern, but I say it fiction and a romance, can't we read something that addresses and fixes some of the wrongs? Maybe call it wishful thinking or wish fulfillment, but I think this is a great read for anyone who wants a HEA in 1940s Hollywood.

I enjoyed the old Hollywood setting. I really liked the story of the main characters' long history of misunderstandings. I thought it was a good romance--I definitely had stomach butterflies a few times.

Joan Davis and Dash Howard have made a series of movies together, but can't seem to get along. Joan has to contend with a jealous Hollywood gossip columnist who found out something Joan herself doesn't know--Joan and Dash are married! It seems Dash (as a joke) sent Joan the marriage license from their movie (that was performed by a real minister) and Joan's assistant sent it off to city hall not knowing what it was. Now both Dash and Joan are off to Reno so they can get a quickie divorce while filming their latest film (written by Joan's assistant) and Joan can marry the man she's engaged to.

With elements of old Hollywood movies (including "It Happened One Night", "It Happened One Fight" is a cute romance. Anyone who is a Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Clark Gable, or Montgomery Clift/Rock Hudson fan will find the book thoroughly entertaining.

An accidental marriage between two of the biggest actors in the business, working on one last movie together while getting a divorce, and a romance between two people who haven’t gotten along in a long while. This book has so much going for it. The romance was nice, Joan and Dash had that annoyed tension down and I enjoyed seeing them fall in love. Both were complex characters, though some of the problems brought up in this story made the characters look so much younger than they were, because they seemingly couldn’t have a proper conversation to save their life (or relationship for that matter).

What really drew me to this book was the Sweet Home Alabama-esque meets Old Hollywood set-up of the story. Sadly that Old Hollywood setting ended up also being my biggest let down with this book. Ultimately the story couldn’t convince me of the setting and the book could’ve taken place in modern Hollywood without much change to the story.

oh my goodness, this was the best book!! it was soooo sweet and i'm so in love with it!! as always, thank you so much to netgalley for letting me read this book early! pick it up asap!!!